Steve Jackson Games Forums - View Single Post

HeatDeath · 12-06-2019, 11:59 AM

The big dynamic to watch for in trying to set up grand strategic games that use tactical games to resolve conflicts is this:

Tactical games are most fun when the contest is approximately balanced.

But a skilled player at the strategic level will win by setting up as many /unbalanced/ tactical exchanges as possible.

It's actually very difficult to get a realistic, balanced strategic game to set up tactical exchanges that are actually /fun/ to play out in the tactical game.

If your goal is to generate a series of fun Ogre scenarios to play, as opposed to a long series of one-sided curbstomps for one side or the other, you may be better off building an intentionally designed scenario generator than a strategy game. Look into Battletech's War Chest campaign framework for examples of what a scenario generator system can look like, as opposed to a grand strategy game.

It looks like this is the direction you're already heading in.

12-06-2019, 11:59 AM	#7
HeatDeath Join Date: May 2012	Re: Ogre Grand Massive Campaign The big dynamic to watch for in trying to set up grand strategic games that use tactical games to resolve conflicts is this: Tactical games are most fun when the contest is approximately balanced. But a skilled player at the strategic level will win by setting up as many /unbalanced/ tactical exchanges as possible. It's actually very difficult to get a realistic, balanced strategic game to set up tactical exchanges that are actually /fun/ to play out in the tactical game. If your goal is to generate a series of fun Ogre scenarios to play, as opposed to a long series of one-sided curbstomps for one side or the other, you may be better off building an intentionally designed scenario generator than a strategy game. Look into Battletech's War Chest campaign framework for examples of what a scenario generator system can look like, as opposed to a grand strategy game. It looks like this is the direction you're already heading in.